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When it comes to sushi, William “Goro” Pitchford may be the closest San Antonio has to a true master.

Pitchford's understated sushi is special, but it's his encyclopedic knowledge of sushi and Japanese cuisine, and his relentless drive to improve his knowledge and skills, that inspire such a superlative.

His restaurant, open since 2005, has stayed in the top tier of local sushi places from the time it opened, and the dining room is routinely packed with a crowd that spans generations.

He's usually working behind the sushi bar, looking up from his work and greeting customers as they walk in. During a lunch and a dinner visit, he recognized our group as being from the Express-News. To check on the consistency, we called in a takeout order using a different name and the quality was as high as it was when we were identified.

Pitchford's comfortable confidence infuses the atmosphere and sets a tone for the service, which is efficient, helpful and professional, allowing diners to focus on their own dishes and conversations. Many of those conversations may turn to the dishes, because they have a way of grabbing the attention.

A Japanese standard, the gyoza, feature nicely spiced minced meat filling with dumplings that are properly steamed and then pan-fried. If you want to dip into the slightly spicy soy-based dipping sauce, go ahead. It adds another nice layer of flavor. But these gyoza don't need the sauce.

Another standard dish, the octopus salad, exquisitely balanced the firm texture of the octopus with a bit of a vinegary tang and soy sauce, with cucumber and bits of dried seaweed adding more flavor and texture. It's not that this octopus salad was a new taste, but rarely are these simple ingredients rendered so skillfully.

It was part of a lunchtime chirashi, a mixture of seafood atop sushi rice, which demonstrated the clean cuts and artful presentation that's second nature here.

His ease and mastery of the craft of sushi comes through even more in his treatment of the nigiri, the oval balls of vinegared rice topped with a piece of raw fish that has a dollop of wasabi.

The rice has a pleasant tang from just enough vinegar and a very light, almost airy texture that comes from a skillful chef pressing the ball together with just enough pressure so the rice holds together but not so much to squeeze it into a dense clump. It is the control of these details that separates the adroit from the wannabes.

Pitchford's team demonstrates expertise in the cooked items, too. Clearly, he has instructed and inspired his staff well.

An appetizer of lightly seared sea bass sits atop a bed of shredded daikon and soba noodles, all drizzled with a miso-based sauce that included a touch of truffle oil. It's a cross-cultural approach that simply dazzles.

Even a Korean bulgogi — a menu touch from his Korean-born wife — succeeds admirably, with enough of the fermented chile paste gochujang, to make the heat and flavor of the beef interesting but not overwhelming.

Adventurous diners may want to ask Pitchford if they may dine omakase style, leaving the choice of items to him. It's probably best to call ahead and make arrangements, discussing items such as dietary restrictions, food preferences and the like.

Only the best sushi chefs can execute omakase well, and he does it brilliantly.

One item featured a tempura-fried perilla leaf from his garden topped with a bit of hamachi, ponzu sauce and salmon roe.

Another was his take on steak takaki, a very lightly seared piece of beef that's sliced thinly before serving. Pitchford doesn't just merge east and west; he also includes an unexpected bit of South Texas. He rests the steak slices on a plate with ponzu sauce and tops the beef with finely diced onions, jalapeños and tomatoes. It's an inspired combination — and a small example of what one of this city's masters can offer.